Android Authority newsletter

The best way to stay connected to the Android pulse. Our main newsletter is the Android Weekly which is sent every Sunday and contains all the top Android news, reviews and features from the past week.

100% Privacy, No Spam Policy: We value privacy and your email address will be 100% secure. We hate spam just like you do and will never send you too much email, nor will we ever share your information with anyone.

Buy now!

Name:

Subject:

Message:

WhatsApp testing out Snapchat-like “Status” feature

Facebook, the company which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, has found itself under public scrutiny over the last few months. The biggest social network in the world decided to straight up copy the features of its main competitor, Snapchat. It did so by introducing Instagram Stories, a direct Snapchat Stories competitor and then by testing “Messenger Day” within its messaging app, which works in a similar fashion.

Now, the company is at it again. WhatsApp is testing out a new “Status” tab (via WABetaInfoand FirstPost), that allows you to share images and videos to your contact list for a limited period of time. You also have the option to scribble on images and videos with the help of the pencil tool, as well as to adding emoji and text. Sounds familiar? If you’re a Snapchat user, it should, as its Snaps feature basically works the same way.

The new feature seems to replace the Contacts tab in WhatsApp’s top navigation menu.

The new Status bar is currently available on WhatsApp’s latest beta version (2.16.336), though it’s hidden from regular users. To use it, you have to do a search in the Settings menu, but please keep in mind that in order to test it out for yourself, you will need a rooted Android (or a jailbroken iOS device).

As already stated, the feature is currently being tested, and once WhatsApp gets enough feedback to implement a few improvements, it will probably roll it out to users across the world. When exactly will that happen is anyone’s guess, but hopefully, it will be available soon. As always, we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.